Alloy and method of making same.



LOUIS O. DODD,

OF BUFFALO,

NEW YORK.

ALLOY AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME.

No Drawing.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIS 0. Does, a citizen of the United States,residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Alloy and Method of Making Same, of which thefollowing is a specification.

It is well known to all versed in the art of making or compoundingbearing metals, that a copper-lead alloy is the best alloy for bearinpurposes. Especially so for bearings su jected to heavy loads, andespecially where it is required that the bearing should conform itself,in a limited degree, to both the journal and its seat, that is, havemalleability or plasticity. It is also known that a high percenta eof'lead in an alloy renders it to a greater degree proof against thedestructive action of acids, alkalies and chemicals. The difiiculty inalloying copper and lead is due to their great difference of meltingtemperature, their slight afiinity for each other and their differencein specific gravity. The copper in the molten mixture of lead and coppertends to solidify while the lead remains molten and owing to its higherspecific gravity tends to settle to the bottom. It is also known thatthe lead and copper are only a mechanical mixture and that at best thelead is suspended in a matrix of copper; now, the object of my inventionis to accomplish this suspension more perfectly than has ever been donebefore, that is, hold a larger percentage of lead in suspension in amore finely divided state in a less expensive manner than heretofore.

I attain my object by introducing a relatively small percentage of ironinto the molten copper. The iron should be as pure and as free fromcarbon as possible, and is introduced while the copper is in a moltenstate, after which the relatively high per centage of lead is thenadded. The iron should not exceed three per. cent., and the lead shouldnot be in excess of fifty per cent. Both copper and lead in the purestate have very little affinity for each other and for that reason theyreadily separate when cooling from a molten mixture. The reason forhaving the iron present in this alloy is that when cooling the iron setsquickly owing to its relatively higher fusing point, and thus owing toits presence retains the lead in suspension.

The addition of manganese to this alloy has a very beneficial effect,owing to the high affinity, which manganese has for both theSpecification of Letters Patent.

Applicat on filed January 19, 1907.

Patented Oct. 4, 1910.

Serial No. 353,065.

when cooling, becomes even more intimate than without the addition ofmanganese it also increases the carrying capacity for lead from thirtyto fifty per cent. The most convenient way for the introduction ofmanganese is to first alloy the manganese with the iron. This can bedone very conveniently by first melting together a tempering alloycomposed of practically equal parts of Norway or Swedish iron, (or aniron nearly free from carbon), with an eighty per cent. commercialferromanganese. The presence of an unnecessary amount of iron ormanganese in a bearing is undesirable, and for that reason only thenecessary amount of tempering alloy should be added in order to properly maintain perfect suspension of the lead in the mixture duringcooling; for this purpose it is not necessary that the iron should everexceed three per cent. nor the manganese two per cent, in an alloy ofwhich the remaining constituents are nearly equal quantities of copperand lead. In the making of this alloy the usual precautions against theoxidizing of the copper should be taken, especially so if the copperused was not in a thoroughly deoxidized condition to start with. Thedeoxidizing of the copper can be done in the usual way by the use of anumber of the different well known agents, such as: zinc in amount notto exceed eight per-- cent. of the final alloy, silicon not in excess oftwo per cent, potassium not in excess of one per cent., sodium not inexcess of one per cent, phosphorus not in excess of one per cent, ormagnesium not in excess of one per cent. Any one of these is added afterthe tempering alloy has been added and before the lead is added. It isdesirable to first make up the tempering alloy, in melting the necessaryconstituents to produce an alloy of iron and manganese havingpractically sixty per cent. iron and forty per cent. manganese.

This alloy is then allowed to cool, after which it is broken up'in orderto be in" a condition convenient for weighing oiit in any desired amountto correspond with any given weight of copper. The copper is then meltedin the usual way, the desired amount of tempering alloy is then added.The preferred amount of the'tempering alloy is two per cent. of thefinal composition. manganese, and zinc, the quantity of zinc After thistempering alloy is melted the deoxidizing agent is then introduced inamount not exceeding those above men tioned, after which the lead isadded, this is usually in amount equal to the total weight of the otherconstituents. The amount of lead, however, can be varied, a decrease inthe amount of lead increases the hardness and strength of the alloy. Thebeneficial effects of the presence oflead are increased for both bearingand acid resisting qualities with an increase of the percentage of lead.But owing to the decrease of strength with an increase of lead, fiftyper cent. lead is all that can be used for bronzes.

It is well known by those versed in the art that my alloy can be made upin part of scrap; that small quantities and traces of metals existing asimpurities will not materially affect the beneficial results of myinvention; that the manner of compounding these alloys may be variedwithout departing essentially from the spirit of this inven tion andstill secure the beneficial efiects of the same.

I am aware that prior to my invention attempts have been made forproducing a suspension of lead in brass or bronze, but What I do claimas my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. An alloycontaining copper, lead and iron, the iron not exceeding three per cent.of the mixture and the copper and lead being of nearly equal quantities.

2. An alloy composed of copper, lead, iron and manganese.

3. An alloy composed of copper, lead, iron and manganese, the iron notexceeding three per cent. and the manganese two per cent. of themixture.

4. An alloy containing copper, lead and a tempering agent composed ofiron and manganese, the iron not exceeding three per cent. and themanganese two per cent. of the mixture, and the copper and lead being ofnearly equal quantities.

5. An alloy containing copper, lead, iron,

not to exceed eight per cent. of the mixture. (3. An alloy containingcopper, lead, iron, manganese and zinc, the iron not to exceed three percent, the manganese not to exceed two per cent. and the zinc not toexceed eight per cent. of the mixture while the copper and lead are ofabout equal quantities.

-7. The herein described method of pro ducing an alloy containingcopper, lead and iron, consisting in introducing the iron into thecopper while the latter is in a molten state, and then adding the leadto the same.

8. The herein described method of producing an alloy containing copper,lead,

iron and manganese, consisting in first melting together the iron andmanganese to form a tempering agent, then introducing this agent intothe copper While in a molten state, and then adding the lead.

9. The herein described method of producing an alloy containing copper,lead, iron, manganese and a deoxidizing agent, consisting in firstproducing a tempering agent by melting together the iron and manganese,then melting the copper, then adding the tempering agent to the moltencopper, then adding the deoxidizing agent to q the copper and temperingagent, and then adding the lead to the other constituents.

10. The herein described method of producing an alloy containing copper,lead, iron, manganese and zinc, consisting in first melting together atempering agent composed of three parts of iron and two partsofmanganese, then melting fifty or more parts of copper, then adding thetempering agent to the copper, then introducing eight parts of zinc, andthen adding fifty or less parts oflead.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

LOUIS O. DODD. I

Witnesses:

G. H. BIERBAUM, H. R. BRIDGMAN.

